Frogless railway-switch



my Model.) .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F.- SGHULTZ, Jr. FROGLESS RAILWAY SWITGH.

N0. 503,440. I Patented Aug. 15, 1893.

wbawtoz Gnome/1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' (No Model.)

F SCHULTZ, Jr FROQLBSS RAILWAY SWITCH.

Pai tented Aug. 15, 1893-.

awumhoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED SCHULTZ, JR, OF BRACEVILLE, ILLINOIS.

FROG LESS RAI LWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,440, dated August15, 1893.

Application filed November 30, 1891. Serial No. 113,562. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED SCHULTZ, J12, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Braceville, in the county of Grundy and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FroglessRailway- Switches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan View. Fig. 2 is aperspective view andFigs. 3 and 4 are detail views.

This invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements infrogless railway switches, and it consists in the novel c011- structionand combination of parts as hereinafter described and pointed out in theclaim.

In the accompanying drawings the letters A, A, designate the main trackrails, and B, B the side track rails, making connection with the mainrails by the movable point rails O, C. These pointrails have limitedswinging connections 0, c, with the ends of the side track rails, andare carried and connected by the tie bars D, D, passing under the mainrail A. The point rail 0 has secured thereto the plates a, a, to whichare respectively connected the switch bar links E, E, connected at theiropposite ends to arms F, F of a horizontal rock shaft G, on the fartherside of and parallel with the main track, and hung in bearings in theblocks g, g. Said point rail 0 is tapered up from its top so as to carrythe flange of the wheel over the main rail A. The arms F, F are providedwith bearings which loosely engage reduced portionsf, f on the shaft G,said portions being eccentric to the longitudinal axis of said shaft; sothat when said shaft is rocked, the arms will be moved to actuate thelink to throw the point rails into or out of engagement with the maintrack rails. Said arms F, F, should have aslight difference in length ofthrow in order to compensate for the movement of the rails.

The side track rail B is formed in two sections separated from eachother by a gap K,

where it is intersected by the main line rail A, and said main line railat this point consists of a short independent section II, which issupported centrally in a pivotal chain h. Said section is firmly securedto the movable plates 70, 7c, one on each side of the chain, to whichare respectively connected the bar links I, I, at their opposite endsconnected to arms J, J on the rock shaft G. These arms J, J are carriedby the shaft G in the same manner as the arms F, F, except that theeccentric portions j, j of the shaft on which they bear are formed onopposite sides of the axis of said shaft. It will be apparent,therefore, that when said shaft is operated, the rail section II will beswung out of line with the main track rails and into connection with thesections of the side rail B, or the reverse, at the same time that thepoint rails G, C, are thrown into or out of connection with the mainrails. Stops Z, Z, are provided on the end of the sections of the rail13 and on the section ends of the main track rails to limit the movementof said swinging section, and to insure a perfect throw. Bearing orsurface plates P are also provided for said section.

A switch constructed. as above described comprises few parts, which areso arranged as to obviate liability of their becoming in operative.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to provide a switch having aswinging or shifting rail section, operating simultaneously with thethrow of the switch rails, and I do not claim such a switch broadly; butI am not aware that a switch has heretofore been constructed embodyingthe specific mechanism hereinbefore described. It will be observed thatthe reduced eccentric "portions f, f, of the shaft G, lie entirelywithin the diameter of said shaft, so that they present no obstructionto the rotation of the shaft. The shaft is in this respect superior tothe ordinary cranked rock-shaft, the cranks of which project beyond theshaft, and are liable to be interfered with in their movement by contactwith obstructions. This form of shaft is also superior to a crankedshaft, for the reason that the cranks sometimes become sprung or bent tosuch an extent as to prevent the proper throw of the rails. This cannot0o cur wlth the shaft herein shown. The reducedeccentric portions alsoform a, more secure lock for the switch when thrown, as there is nodanger of their springing 01f centers, and allowing the movable rails to11love under the Weight of the train.

I Iaving thus fully described my invention, what I believe to be new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a switch, the combination With the short swinging rails O, 0,connected by parallei tie bars D, D, and the short centrally pivotedrail section H, of the rock-shaft G, having near each end tWo reducedeccentric portions f,f, lying Within the diameter of the shaft, arms F,F, and J, J, journaled one on each of said eccentric portions, andprojecting inwardly toward the track, and the switch bar links E, E, andI, I, connected respectively to said arms F, F, and J, J, and at theirother ends to arms respectively secured to the rail 0 and to the railII, and projecting: 011t- Wardly therefrom, substantially as speclfied.

In testimony whel'eofI affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FRED SCHULTZ, JR.

Witnesses:

WM. PHILLIPS, E. D. SCOTT.

